


Trip to the Mountains

by avrelia



Series: The World of Infinite Hope - canon compliant stories [15]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Fall Maiko Week 2019, Maiko fluff week 2019, Road Trip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-23
Updated: 2019-10-23
Packaged: 2020-12-31 21:30:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21152504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avrelia/pseuds/avrelia
Summary: Mai, Tom-Tom and Zuko go on a road trip to see Mai and Tom-Tom's home province. Two idiots on a hot air balloon with a curious 5-6 year old! What could go wrong? also, they try to talk about their relationship...





	Trip to the Mountains

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Maiko Fluff week 2019
> 
> Day 7, prompt: road trip
> 
> This story is a part of the same universe all my stories are. It takes place sometime between The Sick Days and Quiet Family Dinner. Zuko is about 21, Mai is about 20. Tom-Tom is close to 6.

“I am planning to take Tom-Tom on a trip to see the mountains near our home town. He’s never been there before. Do you want to come with us?”

Mai asked as nonchalantly as she could, but she knew it was a loaded question. Road trip with her little brother and a road trip with Zuko are two very different kinds of road trips, and she was probably mad to combine them in one. She wanted to go with Zuko, but wasn’t ready to go with him alone. Not yet. Probably. And she wanted to show Tom-Tom a place she loved when she was a little girl. And Zuko, too. So it was a good idea, but still a clunky one. Zuko actually picked up on that and didn’t answer at once. 

“Do you really want to go with me?”

“Yes.” 

“When do you want to go?”

“It depends. If you want to come with us, we’ll go whenever you can find the time. If not, as soon as I make all arrangements for the travel for the two of us.”

“I might be able to take some time off next week. How much time do you have in mind?” 

“I think we should make it in a day there and a day back, so three days altogether. Depending on the way of travel, of course.”

“What do you think about air balloon?”

“I… can’t operate one. Suppose I can learn, but I won’t be able to watch over Tom and fly a balloon. I was thinking booking a passage on a ship, or some mount animals. Ostrich horse would be uncomfortable to ride with Tom-Tom, but I should find something.”

“I can fly air balloon. I’ll arrange for the tent and camping supplies, unless you were planning or staying in inns, of course, so you’ll take what you need for yourself and Tom-Tom.”

“Sure.”

That was a very awkward conversation, like most their conversations these past days. Their were dating for some time, and it was great. However, the whole thing with “taking things slow” that at the beginning worked so well, now basically screeched to a halt. Just how slow their slow should be? Where was the point when they had to move somewhere? Mai wasn’t sure, and Zuko was waiting for her to decide, which at this time only made them both very frustrated and awkward. When they started Mai was sure that it’s going to be clear at some moment. But… part of her was ready to jump Zuko after their first date – or maybe during. And other part was always bracing for another heartbreak and ready to run away. It was not a puzzle to solve intellectually, and she didn’t trust her feelings.

Mai was looking forward to the trip with Tom-Tom. Mother easily allowed them to go, herself probably happy to have rest from parenting duties. Neither she nor Auntie Mura ever wanted to go there, now that all their parents and her father’s parents and elder relatives were dead. Mai haven’t been there since childhood, but she had mostly pleasant memories of the mountains surrounding her hometown. Relatives were more complicated, but she was not planning on visiting them. She wouldn’t admit aloud, but now that she knew the real story behind kemurikage spirits and that they didn’t appear any more, she felt much better about climbing those mountains. 

The next week she and Tom-Tom met Zuko near the Royal air field. They had small backpacks and a basket, trusting Zuko and his staff to prepare the rest. Mai’s trust wasn’t misplaced – a small but comfortable air gondola was waiting for them, with everything she might think of. Soon enough, the three of them were up in the air. 

She and Zuko checked the maps and set the course to Mai’s home province, while Tom-Tom was studying everything around him. It was Mai’s first time in the air above Fire Nation islands, not counting short trips on Appa a while back. And she enjoyed seeing familiar places from the bird’s view. 

The first several hours of flight they spent in silence broken only by casual remarks about the weather, direction and some polite inquiries. They talked about their friends. They talked about some of Zuko’s most pressing problems. Zuko explained Tom Tom how air balloon worked. Then they plunged in awkward silence again.

Then Zuko took a breath and said, “So, what is happening with us?”

Mai signed and tried to collect her thoughts into a good explanations of what she wasn’t sure.

Zuko continued, “I maybe wasn’t clear enough – I want everything. I want to wake up with you every morning, I want to grow old near you. And everything it entails. I know you wanted to take things slow, and I want you to be happy and comfortable, but...”

She interrupted, “Do you think I have a timetable? Or a special sign I am waiting for? I don’t know! I don’t know, ok?! I don’t know what I am waiting for.” 

Zuko went and busied himself with the engine, his anger and annoyance having outlet in adding fire. Mai turned away. The longer it lasted, the harder it was to break out of established pattern, and the only thing was to do was to keep in check growing annoyance with each other. She started watching Tom-Tom watching birds. By this time Tom-Tom explored all the insides of the gondola, and the mechanism that allowed the balloon to fly in the direction they wanted it to fly, and the engine, and now set to look at what was going on outside, Outside there was nothing, but wind and birds. Tom-Tom was fascinated by everything – clouds so close above them, land far underneath, birds that flew around them. Mai envied his ability to be fascinated. Here he saw a huge bird – a peregrine stork, Mai thought. It flew slightly above them, gliding in the air, then noticed its prey and dived down. 

The next moment Mai saw Tom-Tom diving down after it. Mai screamed to get Zuko’s attention, then grabbed a rope hanging on the gondola’s sideboard and jumped after her brother hoping for the best. She fell, and the seconds stretched into hours in her mind as she tried to reach for Tom-Tom just below her, with the land closing in way too fast. Finally, she managed to grab his clothes, and pull him close with one hand, then she felt the rope tug at her – thankfully, it was tied, or Zuko grabbed it in time and now he was pulling them in, while lowering the air balloon carefully. 

Finally, both Mai and Tom-Tom were back inside. She couldn’t let go and just sat there hugging Tom- Tom tightly and trying not to cry. The gondola softly hit the ground, but Mai couldn’t move. She kept playing in her head the horrifying visions of the barely averted disaster. Tom-Tom also was unusually quiet, still scared of his fall, even if he wasn’t very clear on the danger he was in.

“You stupid, stupid baby” Mai sobbed.

Tom-Tom sniffled unhappily and hugged her back.

Zuko came close and without saying anything embraced them both. Mai started to clam down and relax in his embrace. They sat all hugging each other for a while until Tom-Tom grew bored and wiggled out of their heap.

“On the hindsight, it was me who’s a stupid baby. I should have tied Tom-Tom as soon as we were up in the air. I know how he is.” Mai rasped swallowing tears.

“I, urm, also should have thought about it. Sorry. I am too used to travel on Appa who can easily catch whoever was falling out.” 

“Did it happen often?”

“Sometimes. How about I make some calming tea for us all? “

Mai nodded and went to watch over Tom-Tom who was now poking with a stick into a hole in the ground.

After tea, snacks Mai found herself unwilling to move. She wanted to lay down and close her eyes, but was afraid to lose sight of Tom-Tom, who seemingly forgot about his earlier adventure and was either trying to eat some plants or poking insects or banging stones together trying to build something. 

“I cannot be trusted with kids. What was I thinking about? Why did Mother let him with me? Or, I know that last one… But why did I take him with me?”

“I thought you wanted to show tom tom your mountain.” Zuko scowled quite uncharitably. Mai made a face back at him. 

“I did. It’s a wonderful mountain, and I really wanted to go see it with him. But when I imagined us there, I forgot how Tom-Tom is prone to disasters.” 

“Yeah, he got more stuff happened to him than most people I know. And that includes Aang who constantly has weird stuff happening around him.” 

“Maybe you just don’t know about Aang’s childhood.”

“May be. We’ll ask him next time.”

Casual “we” warmed Mai and she smiled. Zuko got up. “You know what, I’ll go and play with Tom-Tom, and you have some rest. Then we’ll change, ok?”

Zuko disappeared, and Mai heard him talking to Tom-Tom about building something, while she looked at the clouds drifting by, then she was drifting along with them, and then she woke up. It was late afternoon, and she was alone.

Soon she saw Tom-Tom and Zuko, both undressed, laughing, water dripping off. 

“Mai, I swam, all by myself! I can do it!”

“Did you know your brother cannot swim?”

“Where would I teach him in Capital city?” 

“I taught him some basics. But it’s ridiculous we don't have places to swim at home.”

“You are the Fire lord.”

“Sure. I’ll dig up a pond when we’re back home.” 

“Very funny. Just tell someone in the city.”

“Do you want to swim? There is a very pleasant swimming hole not far from there. I’ll sit with Tom-Tom.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, if you want. Or I can just pour water on you to help you wake up.”

“Let’s go together.”

So they went and a had a very pleasant swim together, and Mai indeed felt herself much better, then they ate again and set out to fly. Sun started its decline, and the sky was getting its amazing sunset colors.

Not only Tom-Tom, but all three of them were now tied up with ropes connected to the gondola. 

“Still, when you really think about it, it’s not very safe to be up in the air. What if the air balloon falls down?”

“I guess. During the war the safety of the crew was never a concern, and then everyone got too busy to think about it. But you are right, it’s not good.” 

Before the last of sunlight died away they found a place for the campsite and settled for the night. 

Together they put up a tent – a large, misplaced in its luxury, royal tent, set the bedrolls and made the fire.

After the supper they sat by the fire, and Mai was telling her stories about the mountains and strange people and spirits that lived there that she remembered from her childhood. The evening was warm and quiet, there was nobody around but them and the only noises were animals scuttling around on their business and crackling of fire and rustling of the leaves. 

Tom-Tom fell asleep in Mai’s arms. She needed to take him into the tent, but he looked so peaceful and comfortable on her lap that she was loath to move. 

She glanced to Zuko. Zuko was watching her across the fire. Nobody said anything. Mai stared at the fire to avoid staring at Zuko, which, really, was counterproductive. She couldn’t see him as well, but she also couldn’t think about anything else. Fire was pretty. Zuko… also was rather nice to look at… Mai’s inner voice started screaming at her “Just go and kiss him already you idiot! Or say something! What perfect moment exactly are you waiting for?” But Mai felt herself glued to her place, and unable to move or say something. After a while, Zuko got up and said that he is going to sleep. Mai felt both grateful for saving her from having to make a move right now, and annoyed that he didn’t wait – she was that close. The royal tent was big enough to be divided in several comfortable rooms, so there was no danger of them meeting inside. 

Zuko left and soon enough disappeared in the tent. Tom-Tom moved, so there was no reason not to put him in tent, too. Mai did that and returned to fire. It was growing smaller and smaller, and Mai was determined to see it through to the end and only go to sleep when the coals were dark. 

She remembered their first kiss back in Ba Sing Se. It didn’t need that much thinking. But it was a different time, and very different them. She hasn’t seen him for more than three years, and when she did, she couldn’t recognize a bright young boy she used to know in the brooding youth. And it wasn’t even his scarred face – it was horrible, yes, but it didn’t make him unrecognizable. It was the lack… of spark, for the lack of a better word. That spark that lived in his eyes, that used to make her warm inside and her heart do something weird. 

The spark was gone and dead. He also didn’t look like he recognized her. Or care. Until their walk in the city, and meeting with Jin. He looked apprehensive when Mai threw an icicle at the fish on his head, but when she suggested to teach Jin to do the same and Jin agreed- smart girl, that Jin - now he suddenly looked alive. And a lot like the boy she liked.

Which filled her with ridiculous happy feeling, and she ran away. And he went after her, and he cared, and she kissed him, and it was good. What else was there to do? Zuko was the only thing that made her life bearable back then. 

Mai smiled into dying campfire. 

***

The next morning she woke up to see Zuko outside studying maps.

“Where do you want us to land?”

She came close. “Someplace by the foot of the mountain. The trail to the top starts approximately right here.” She pointed at the place on the map. “I prefer to avoid the town. I’d rather not meet people there. They might want something from us.”

“Is it a bad thing?”

“I thought you wanted days off.”

“Yeah, I wanted a lot of things.”

“Do whatever.” Mai turned and went to wake up Tom-Tom. 

She felt embarrassed and abrasive. She kept missing good opportunities to talk, to sit together, to be together, as if a tiny contrarian spirit possessed her. But she knew it was all her own mess, and she just didn’t want to think about it right now.

After the breakfast they packed and left. Zuko managed to land the balloon exactly at the beginning of the trail, and they started the climb: Mai and Zuko both with backpacks carrying their lunch and water, Tom-Tom skipping around. 

“Wait!” Mai stopped. “I am not repeating my mistake twice.” She took a rope from the gondola, tied one end to her waist, another to Tom-Tom’s. “I am not having you fall alone from here.”

“I can walk by myself! I am big boy!” Tom-Tom wasn’t enjoying it.

“Yes, the bigger the boy, the stupider things they do.”

“Do you want to tie me up too, then?” Zuko asked innocently.

Mai stood gaping for a second unable to think, then she saw Zuko smirking. “May be another time” she grumbled under breath, and then giggled, too. A little.

They started walking up the path. It was neat narrow path, not well traveled. The last time Mai herself walked here was ten years ago, when she wanted to climb to the top alone. She did, before she was found out and locked in her room for the rest of the visit for unseemly behavior. She didn’t remember much of it, but trusted that the path will bring them to the top. The mountain was mostly covered in forest: not very dense, but not allowing for good views either. Tom-Tom was running ahead at first, then was distracted by various slugs and snails they met on the path, and all the birds that sang above them. And trying to identify animal tracks and holes in the ground. Then he said that he was too tired and why don’t Mai carry him. Mai refused and took him by the hand instead. Tom-Tom kept whining but also kept walking. When Mai found a large boulder, she sat Tom-Tom there and gave him a flask with water. 

“If he is really tired, I can carry him.” Zuko offered. 

“He is much heavier than he looks, and he is perfectly capable to walk for now. It’s not far, and then we can have a long rest and a picnic up there.” Mai cut off.

“I want Zuko to carry me!” Tom-Tom screamed.

“Oh, so you are a baby then?” Mai was having none of it. Even though it wasn’t such a bad idea, and she probably should have let Zuko to help. She frown and glanced at Zuko.

“Here is our baby!” Zuko picked her up and carried up in wide strides. Tom-Tom, still tied up to Mai’s waist squealed as he ran after them. Mai was both absurdly comfortable and resentful. Still, she got out of Zuko’s arms.

“Carry you own sisters.”

“Sure, I should have taken Azula with us. It would have made the trip so much more fun.”

Mai scoffed. “Come on, boys, we have just a little left to climb.”

Indeed, in another fifteen minutes they reached the top of the mountain. Mai took a deep breath. 

The top, just as she remembered, was a mostly flat space, on one side having an abrupt almost vertical drop and on others old gnarly pines making the border. She picked up Tom-Tom and came close to the drop. From there opened a view that enchanted her years ago. 

Forested mountains were getting lower in front of them, giving way to green rolling hills and valleys. There was a river running among the hills, villages and roads, gardens and fields were visible far ahead, the ocean framing the picture on both sides. It was breathtaking. 

“Look, Tom-Tom.” 

“Wow, so high!”

“Yes.”

“Are we as high as the balloon flew?”

“Probably. When I was here last time, we didn’t have balloons yet. I was the only one who could see from that high.”

“Why? Anyone can climb up here!”

“Nobody wanted to, they were afraid of spirits.” 

“Spirits are scary.”

“Yes.” She lowered Tom-Tom. “We’ll have lunch soon. Please be careful, I don’t want to fall from here.” 

Tom-Tom wandered off to where their backpacks were. Mai hoped he would keep himself busy by trying to get food out of them. She really wanted to show him this view, but maybe it was not the same for him and the whole thing was a really stupid idea. She found Zuko’s hand and held it tight - he was standing just behind her. 

“Do you think he is too small? I wanted to share this with him now, before he got to see all others. But he probably too small to remember it and already had been through much at the same time… It was not a good idea…” 

Zuko pulled her close. “It is an amazing view. I am glad you’ve brought us here, and I think Tom Tom will be, too.”

Mai turned and kissed him. 

“What, now?” Zuko scowled with a flash of anger or something like that. Mai shrugged and looked away. But Zuko started kissing her in earnest, with tenderness and hunger and awkwardness and everything else, and she was kissing back with everything she had or everything she was and all their pent-up frustrations were melting away. 

“Mai, why are you making funny noises?” Tom-Tom called. “I am hungry.”

It was hard to tear away and focus on the world around them. 

But the world – as hungry and bored Tom-Tom demanded their attention. The picnic spot afforded them the same gorgeous view on the valleys below, and Mai sat comfortably and tried to drink it all in. 

“I guess it won’t feel the same to you or Tom-Tom, but I felt then – as I feel now that it’s all mine. Not because it belongs to me, but because I am from here. My inheritance that my parents cannot waste because it’s inside me, you know? Generations and generations of people who lived there. That legend of kemurikage affected me because it happened here. Am I a descendant of those warlords or vengeful spirits, or both? I don’t feel much connection to the people there normally, but on that mountain, it’s different. I feel that everything is connected somehow, including me.” 

Zuko took her hand and kissed it lightly, and she shrugged, feeling slightly uncomfortable about her speech. 

“I think I know what you mean. There are several places where I felt something like that, and here I feel similar.”

Mai pulled him closer and sat leaning her head on his shoulder. Tom-Tom grabbed all the last cookies and also came to hug her. 

The way down was much faster and easier, but Tom-Tom was indeed tired and stumbled several times, Mai picked him up and stubbornly carried him herself for a while. They planned to fly as much as they could until dark and find a spot in a similar place like the previous night. 

However, the weather started to get worse and worse. Dark heavy clouds gathered fast above them. Air started smelling like thunderstorm.

“I really wouldn’t mind an inn right now,” Mai sighed.

“So would I, but I can’t see any inns or even villages close enough. We should be able to reach one in half and hour, but it’s too dangerous. The storm is right here. I’ll bring the balloon down there.” Zuko pointed at the small of grove of young trees almost directly under them. “Should be safe enough.”

The pouring rain started as they landed. Everything was drenched immediately. Then the lightning struck and in a second they heard thunder. 

Mai worriedly watched as Zuko winced and unconsciously touched his chest. Zuko turned to her. “Give me all your knives, and try to put the tent, I’ll secure the balloon and do something about lightnings.” 

She wordlessly took off her knife belt and passed it to Zuko. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll be safe.” He kissed her and ran into the storm. 

Mai shook her head, took the tent and Tom-Tom and went out of the gondola. They were already wet to the last thread, so there was no point in trying to hide from rain. Putting the tent up was still too much annoying work. Royal tents were supposed to be set by several experiences servants, not one girl and one five years old. Still, they somehow managed to do it by the time Zuko was back.

“What did you do?”

“Tied all our metal weapons to a large stick in a field. Lightnings like sticks and metal, it turned out.”

“Really?”

“Yep. Let’s move all our stuff inside the tent, can dry some of it.” 

After everything was inside, they looked at the damage. Thankfully, bedrolls and blankets didn’t get too wet, and their spare clothes were in decent condition, and the food – not all food was in a soggy slurpy mess! 

“Well. I can’t dry all of it.” Zuko observed the wet state of their belongings.

Mai agreed. After all, making fire in the tent during the thunderstorm was the worst possible idea in general. “I think better not try at all. we’ll be ok. We need to change clothes before we catch the cold.”

She took off Tom-Tom’s drenched clothes. He was clammy and shaking, and Mai started warming him up with a blanket.

“Come here,” Zuko took Tom-Tom and started rubbing him carefully. “Is it better?”

“Wow, your hands are so hot!” 

“Yes, as a firebender I can make them very warm.”

“Can you spout fire from anywhere?” Tom-Tom asked an obvious question.

Mai snickered.

“No. Just hands and feet and my breath. But I am not going to now.”

“Mai can make fire with matches!”

“Mai is awesome, I know.”

Mai found dry clothes and gave them to Tom-Tom.  
“Now is your turn.” Zuko called. 

Mai hesitated. She was cold and wet and hated it, and why exactly she hesitated here? She took off her wet clothes and moved closer to Zuko. Only then she noticed that he took off his wet clothes, too, but she didn’t mind that at all. Zuko’s hands were indeed very hot, pleasantly so on her cold skin. He carefully massaged her arms and shoulders before moving to her back, and mai closed her eyes and let herself drown in feeling of his warmth next to her. 

“You look really weird. Zuko, why are you kissing Mai like this?”

Tom-Tom’s voice brought Mai back, and she realized she was on top of Zuko kissing him like crazy. There could also have been grinding. She wasn’t going to admit it. Zuko also looked like he had trouble collecting himself.

“I love Mai, and that’s why I kiss her like this” He finally said. 

Mai went to put on her dry spare clothes. 

“I love Mai, too.” 

“But she is your sister, and that’s not how brothers and sisters kiss each other.”

“How do you kiss your sisters?”

That seemed to wake Zuko up. He sat blinking and holding his head. “eeh… on the cheek. If they want to be kissed.”

‘ok. I am hungry. Can we eat something?”

“How about calming tea?” Mai asked, smiling.

“Thinking about kissing my sisters worked even better.” Zuko smiled back at her. “But hot tea will be great. Let’s see what we can eat.”

The thunderstorm raged for some time, then calmed down. They ate, listening to the rain outside, then cuddled all together, telling Tom-Tom silly stories and laughing. 

***

They fell asleep all in one warm bundle, with Tom Tom between them, then on top of them, then somewhere on the side, them between them again, sprawling and hogging all the blankets. Mai woke up in Zuko’s arms and smiled. 

“You didn’t run out this morning.”

“I had a pretty good reason not to.” He touched his lips to her forehead and she purred. “Firebending in the morning does help working out all the frustrations.”

“Hmm, I didn’t think firebending could be used for THAT. Of course, Toph mentioned that she uses earthbending for EVERYTHING…”

“Hey, I don’t want to know that!” Zuko looked appalled, and Mai continued,

“Water, I think could also...”

“Stop it now” he kissed her, again, and again, and that distracted them both for a while, but Mai was feeling silly and wicked, so she whispered in his right ear “I am afraid imagine what the Avatar can do, and us, non-benders have to do it the usual way...” and bit the ear lightly. 

“Gaaahh, that's it, I am going outside.” Zuko jumped and left, but Mai could see his wide grin. 

Mai bit the bedroll to stop herself from giggling loudly. It was a very good morning.

Tom-Tom was still asleep. 

Mai got up and left the tent, too. The was hardly any trace of the last night’s thunderstorm. The grass was still wet, and so was the firewood, but Zuko managed to make good campfire anyway. Now he was going through his firebending forms, and Mai decided it was her turn to prepare breakfast.

The sun was warm and tender, and the world seemed new and shiny and more beautiful than ever. It was hard to hate a world like that. 

Their return was deliciously devoid of nerve-racking accidents. The flew for a couple of hours, spotted a secluded beach, stopped there for a rest, taught Tom-Tom to swim, generally behaved very silly and kissed a lot, had lunch, and were back in the air balloon heading home.

**Author's Note:**

> If you are camping during thunderstorm and you don't have an experienced firebender who can redirect lightnings with you, please read these actual safety tips:
> 
> https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/lightning/safety/camping.html  
https://campfiresociety.com/blog/camping/simple-tips-camping-thunderstorm/  
http://lightningsafety.com/nlsi_pls/ploutdoor.htm
> 
> The mountain was based on a mountain in British Columbia, Canada that I climbed a long time ago and don't remember its name. 
> 
> Five (or six) year old Tom-Tom is based on twenty kindergartners I know right now. 
> 
> The whole thing might ended up a bit over indulgent. I tried keep everyone in character as I see them at this age and point in relationship.


End file.
